Head coach Michael Skubala said it was 'a frustrating night' after City exited the Carabao Cup at the first round stage, losing 2-1 at home to Harrogate Town.
Going in level at the break, the away team scored two goals towards the start of the second period. Substitute Jovon Makama pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the closing stages, but the Imps couldn't find the equaliser.
"It was a difficult night, because we wanted to win and go through. We felt we had enough (in the team to get the result)," he said.
"I thought we started the game really brightly and then it became a little bit easier for them and we didn't take the chances we probably should have taken. We were a bit wasteful in the final third and played into their hands too easily.
"We had the chances to go 1-0 up but got caught on a couple, which is not us really."
He continued: "Part of our challenge as we keep moving is playing against teams who play with a low block and how we get better at that. It was disappointing to lose but hopefully the players will learn from that.
"How we chase when we're 2-1 down is important, because we could have taken more risks. It's about having the experience to know how to deal with situations better.
"Some good things came out of it in terms of Tom Hamer getting through 90 minutes after suffering through illness and Lewis Montsma playing a good number of competitive minutes for example. There were positives out there in terms of learnings but it doesn't feel like that directly after the game when you've lost. We want to be consistently winning, but it's about managing moments against different teams.
"We go again on Saturday (against Barnsley at the LNER Stadium), and it's a big game. There will be a big crowd. Hopefully it'll be rocking and we've got to be at our best. We've got to look forward, not back."
